Of Adoration and Essays
by Agatha-Naomi
Summary: Ichigo had half an hour to finish his final, so he really doesn't have time to be gazing at Rukia. And why the hell is Ishida writing a novel? That bastard just likes showing off.
1. Chapter 1

Of Adoration and Essays

AN: I haven't written any major stories in awhile, and for that I apologize. I've had a very eventful summer. I went camping, got my wisdom teeth out, watched a lot of Family Guy and Criminal Minds, and played Yoville obsessively. In other words, I was too 'busy' for fan fiction. Lame, I know. But, I'm writing now, and I hope I can manage to get out a few chapters before my classes take over my brain :D

**_You have thirty minutes to finish your essay. You should have an introduction, body paragraph and conclusion. You must fully address the prompt. You may use the front and back of the paper provided for you. This essay will be scored on the following criteria._**

Ichigo skimmed through the packet. He had taken this damn writing test before, so he knew enough to know how his paper would be scored. He had missed a lot of school, thanks to the whole Winter War thing, and the resulting craziness of losing his powers than regaining them again. Thankfully, he went to a year round school, so he hadn't missed his finals. Those were pretty much impossible to make up. He was usually able to get a lot of late work in, so his grades were still okay. His teachers were all pretty laid back, but he doubted that even his coolest teachers would let him skip out on finals, even if it was to kill a hollow.

Of course Ishida was still the top student in the damn school. That guy was just weird. He was already half finished with his essay, and by the look of it, it was well written. Lots of big words and all that jazz.

Not that he was looking at the Quincy's paper and hoping for ideas. That would be wrong. What was the damn prompt anyways?

**A common theme in the novel is the difference between love and adoration. The author illustrates love as being eternal and adoration as being a shallow, and false love. Are love and adoration two different things, or are they the same? Explain your opinion in your own words.**

Ichigo chewed absentmindedly on his pencil. Couldn't you adore and love someone at the same time? Really, why did they have to make these prompts so damn complicated? He wondered if he was the only person having trouble. Chad and Ishida looked calm and collected, Inoue was staring off dreamily into space, and Keigo looked like he was about to cry. Or wet himself. Maybe he would do both at the same time. Rukia was writing too, in her desk next to his. She paused momentarily, frowned lightly in thought, and then started to write again.

She had such tiny, pretty hands. Was it okay to notice that?

Ichigo studied the prompt once more and then looked around the room again. His eyes magically fell on Rukia. They tended to do that whenever she was within his range of vision. She was writing again. Back when her hair was longer it had fallen over her face whenever she bent over to write at her desk. Now that it was short, it only fell around her jaw, but he saw more of her face that way so he really didn't mind. She was concentrating pretty hard for someone that didn't really need to take the final. She wasn't in need of a High School Diploma or anything. She had no reason to be taking this essay so seriously. Still, she looked sorta cute deep in thought. Her handwriting wasn't super neat, but he had always liked watching her write and draw. She had such tiny little wrists. How the hell did she even hold her sword with those twigs? He shook his head lightly. Was he really oogling Rukia's hands? That was just weird, even if they were tiny and pale and cute.

Come to think of it, everything about her was tiny and pale and cute. Does this mean he can't look at her at all anymore? Why was he wasting away his precious writing time in order to stare at her? Was he going crazy?

He sighed loudly, picked up his pencil and started to write. The prompt still made no damn sense.

This is why he hated finals. They had a nasty way of making you think.

AN: I know it's really short, but I'm just setting it all up. I feel like his essay should be an entire chapter in itself, so I can spend lots of time explaining what love is from Ichigo's point of view. You're welcome. This is going to be three or four chapters at least, but I'm hoping I can write more before my muse gets distracted by something shiny. **Crosses fingers**


	2. Chapter 2

Of Adoration and Essays

AN: I'm rather stressed at the moment, and I am going to try really hard not to freak out today. I'm not very good at handling stress. As of late I've been dusting my room several times a day, getting angry when someone so much as sneezes too loudly and losing sleep because I can't remember with certainty what characters die in the seventh 'Harry Potter' book. I usually play computer games when I need to unwind, but today when I went to feed my Sim, she was really annoying me. Why are they always hungry and bored? Anyways…

Ichigo wished he could just get this essay over and done with. He had wasted ten minutes thinking, and now Ishida, who had finished ages ago, was smirking at him in a way that clearly mocked his intelligence. Ichigo resisted the urge to flip him off, but just barely. Ishida was a good friend and all, but honestly he got too cocky for his own good sometimes.

Ichigo was too busy starting his paper to find the irony in that statement.

_A recurring theme in the novel is that adoration and love are two different things. The author seems to think that love lasts longer than attraction and affection do. He doesn't elaborate on whether he's talking about romantic love or not, so I think he's going on about love in general. It gets kind of confusing because I think you can love and adore someone at the same time. I'm not sure why he keeps acting like they're two completely different things. He does explain that adoration is more about wanting to coddle someone; you know to take care of them. Sometimes people want to be held and saved and taken care of so they dig the idea of being adored._

Inoue had finished her paper already and he could feel her gazing at him. He suddenly felt awkward, but wrote with new vigor.

_When someone adores you they put you on a pedestal. They don't always see the parts of you that aren't good, and they don't always accept them. When someone is infatuated with you they don't acknowledge the things about you that they don't like. They want to make you happy, and take care of you, but they don't get you enough to know how too._

His hollow mask had shocked both Rukia and Inoue when they first saw it on him, but Rukia's fear of his inner hollow stemmed from her concern that it would consume him. Once he learned to control it and use it in battle, it became an asset, and Rukia didn't seem too concerned at all with it's existance. Inoue still seemed to tense up whenever he battled with it. Rukia had pushed him to deal with it, and he had. Sometimes when he was down, everyone walked on tiptoes around him. Rukia never let him wallow in self-pity for long. More than once she had bullied him into facing all the shit in his life, and he was better for it.

_Love involves a great deal of acceptance. If you love someone, you take the good and the bad and you roll with it. You don't pretend the person is better than they really are, and as long as they deal with their problems, you trust them to have things under control. You understand them. If they can't handle something, you don't always rush to their aid. You don't always try to comfort them. You will tell them straight up that they're messing up, and that they need to get a grip on things. You might even be a little hard on them if you think they need to change._

He had mere minutes left to finish. People were packing up and getting ready to leave.

_I agree with the author's point. Love lasts longer than adoration because it's more honest. If you love somebody you'd do anything, you don't just want him or her to be happy, you want them to do good in life._

The bell rang.

Rukia was waiting to walk home with him.

"Do you usually look so confused when you try to string sentences together?" Rukia asked silkily, with a mischeivous glint in her eyes. He scowled down at her.

"You're one to speak midget. You were concentrating pretty hard yourself. You looked like you had stuck a fork in the toaster or something." She opened her mouth to retort, but then her face settled into an expression of puzzled curiousity.

"A toaster? That's what Yuzu uses to cook bread isn't it? And what would sticking a fork in it do?"

"Never mind." She looked like she was about to ask again, so he cut her off. "Why were you thinking so hard anyways? You don't need to pass this class, you know?"

"No, I don't. I know that stupid. I just didn't feel like sitting for half an hour while Ishida watched you finish your final."

"Write anything interesting?" He was personally curious as to what she had to say on the subject, but she rolled her eyes.

"Did you?" She retorted. He snorted.

"Not really, no."

He wondered if she was lying too.

AN: Thoughts?


End file.
